Why the two-state solution is impossible today

The two-state solution sounds like a reasonable approach to end the Palestinian- Israeli conflict.

The following slightly modified application of Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences winner Robert Aumann’s Agreement Theorem is a valid illustration of why the two-state solution is not possible today.

Two men are placed in a locked room with a box containing $100,000. They are told that if they can agree on how to split the money, they will share the agreed-upon amount.

No. 1 says this is the easiest $50,000 I have every received.

No. 2 says I want the whole $100,000 amount because I have known the donor for many years, and you have just met him. The only reason why you were chosen was because your great-great grandfather and the donor’s great-great grandfather were very close friends.

They argue for an hour but cannot reach agreement, because No. 2 will not change his mind about the whole $100,000.

The echo of gentleman No. 2 is in every Palestinian document, such as the PLO Charter, the Hamas Charter, the Fatah Constitution and practically every Palestinian writing in Arabic. Palestinian television programs, textbooks and newspapers also consistently follow gentleman No. 2’s thinking. Please try to find one Palestinian Arabic example of sharing one grain of sand with Israel.

This is not my opinion; these are facts readily available to all. Just type Palestinian Media Watch into an internet search engine and you will find a constant stream of English translations of what I have stated above.